


This Space In Between

by ChibiYoda



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Bruce Is Too Hard On Himself, M/M, Science Boyfriends, Science Bros, This Is My Ship and It Has Wrecked Me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-22 19:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15588582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiYoda/pseuds/ChibiYoda
Summary: Now it's Bruce's turn to worry.





	This Space In Between

Bruce sat on top of a small rock formation, looking out across the Wakandan vista. After the day's events it was hard to believe that there could be anything good left in the world. But the beautiful landscape before him gave him hope that some happiness might still be able to be scavenged up by those like him who'd been left behind.

He'd just gotten there. After two years of unplanned exile, he was back. He's thankful he got to see Tony, albeit briefly, since the immediate needs of the world and the universe had demanded priority over their reunion. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the lovers were parted. A chunk of universe divided them once again.

It's not like Bruce expected to simply pick up where he and Tony had left off. It couldn't possibly be that easy. It was clear that Tony was happy and relieved to see him. That gave him some comfort. But Bruce wasn't given time to explain, to tell Tony where he'd been, why he was gone for so long, why he never called or sent a postcard. He couldn't assure Tony that it wasn't Bruce's choice to be separated from him.

Bruce had just needed a little time to collect his thoughts. To lick his wounds after being let down by someone who valued Hulk over him. Who valued their own needs over Bruce's. He never meant to be away for all that time. He'd only wanted to extricate himself from a bad situation until cooler heads could prevail.

He could only imagine what had been going on inside Tony's head. He knew that Tony would have put the blame on himself somehow. If Bruce hadn't contacted him then it surely meant that Tony had done something wrong, and that he'd been abandoned. That's how Tony's brain works. Tony didn't deserve that.

But this? This is exactly what Bruce deserves. To be perched on a pile of rocks, wondering if the man he loves is alive or dead. It was fitting punishment for putting Tony through the exact same thing. This is what Bruce gets for running away from his problems. He gave in to depression and self-pity, and in the process lost his strength. All the progress he'd made with Hulk disintegrated to the point where Bruce was able to be held captive by him. He brought it all on himself. 

For an uninvolved third party, it would be quite easy to forgive Bruce for the whole mess. He'd spent so many years forbidding himself to trust anyone. He needed to be ultra-wary of every face he saw. His survival depended on it. That's not something you can reverse overnight. The change began with Tony. Everything good in his life from the time of the accident, until he found himself offworld, began with Tony. Tony hadn't just wanted Bruce's trust, he'd pretty much insisted on it. Tony's persistence became endearing much too fast for Bruce. He was the cautious type. Bruce could spot a fake a mile away. But Tony was able to put him at ease in record time because Bruce realized that Tony was being genuine with him. Tony cared. About him. Not about the Other Guy. Not to say that Tony didn't think that Hulk was the coolest thing he'd seen in a while. But Tony's fascination didn't begin and end with Hulk. It carried over to Bruce. Once that became apparent to him, Bruce welcomed the opportunity to trust Tony. So to the casual observer, Bruce's willingness to begin to trust others in his circle was the obvious next step.

But Bruce should have known better. Tony was magic, or an act of God. Hell, maybe Tony was an alien. Whatever Tony was, it was special. Out of the ordinary. Not the norm. Just because Bruce could let his guard down for Tony didn't necessarily mean he could do so for everyone else he met. No matter how nice they were, how well you got along with them or how easy the teamwork became, people could not be trusted. Not by Bruce. Not with his condition. And Bruce had let himself forget this. His lapse in judgment resulted in him misplacing the key to his well-being. He let someone get close enough to gain control over him. But more importantly, and much, much worse, it allowed them to gain control over Hulk. Bruce hated himself for his weakness. His stupidity cost him two years of his life, and possibly the very best thing in it. It was unforgivable.

If only he would have had just a few minutes of peace with Tony. Time to relay enough of the story of the dilemma Bruce had been in. To let Tony know how sorry he was, and how much he loved him. For all Bruce knows, Tony may have moved on. To think that Tony just sat around and waited for him, without being given a shred of evidence that Bruce even still existed, was probably vain on Bruce's part. No matter how heart-shattering it would be to learn that he lost Tony, Bruce absolutely would not blame him. But if by some miracle Tony had stayed frozen in time with him, Bruce vowed to make it up to him every single day for the rest of Tony's life. 

Only, did Tony still have a life? Did it end with him thinking the worst of Bruce? Or will it continue, with Tony thinking the best of him?

It was too much. Bruce's mind reeled. Too many uncertainties. Possibilities that would either lift him up, or completely ruin him. He did his best to maintain his breathing. He felt he might burst. Then...

"Sorry about my little prank back there. No hard feelings?"

Bruce shook his head, then turned it toward the voice. Rhodey was standing a few feet away. It took him a second for his thoughts to gel. Then he remembered what the man was referring to. Bruce chuckled. "Nah. It put me in mind of something Tony would have done."

He kicked at a few pebbles near his feet. "He's gonna be ok." Rhodey knows what Bruce doesn't. He was there on so many nights when his best friend was grieving over his lost love. He watched Tony scour the earth and then the universe, looking for Bruce. He kept Tony company while he waited for Bruce, right up until the day Bruce came back. "You know Tony. If anyone could survive the apocolypse, it's him."

Bruce nodded absently. "I suppose he wouldn't let a little thing like that get him down."

The men took a last indulgent moment to appreicate the view before Bruce climbed down.

"C'mon. Everyone's gonna grab a bite to eat before we head back to New York. You look like you could use a few calories." Now Rhodey would take care of Bruce. For as long as he needed to. For Tony. 

Bruce's mind had been at least temporarily distracted from self-destructive thought. His feet automatically followed Rhodey, while his brain switched gears and began to formulate theories about where Tony might be, and how they might contact him.

There was much to do.


End file.
